With just a few months remaining before the start of the 2015 season, Head Coach Ian Stone has announced the Red Storm’s incoming freshman class, a talented group with the ability to contribute instantly on the pitch.

“I am really excited about the 2015 recruiting class,” said Stone. “It not only provides us with great squad depth, but also a number of special players that have the potential to make an immediate impact in our starting lineup. Overall, it may turn out to be St. John’s Women’s Soccer’s best recruiting class since I took over the program two decades ago.”

A combination of local standouts and international talents, the Class of 2019 will consist of Anna Maria Baldursdottir, Christina Bellero, Senna Brennan, Mecara Bruce, Alexa Dolgos, Samantha Masur, Samie Scaffidi and Lucy Whipp.

Baldursdottir will join the Red Storm this fall, continuing an already stellar amateur career that has seen her star on the club and international stages. The defender is a member of the Icelandic National Team, serving an integral role on a squad that played the United States Women’s Senior National Team to a 0-0 draw in Portugal during this spring’s Algarve Cup. In addition to her international success, Baldursdottir also played for the Icleandic club Stjarnan in the UEFA Champions League.

Bellero comes to Queens from nearby Melville, N.Y., where she starred for Half Hollows Hills East High School for four seasons. A two-year captain, Bellero led the Thunderbirds in scoring in each of her last three seasons, tallying seven goals as a sophomore, 11 as a junior and an astounding 20 goals as a senior. The school’s career leader in goals, she was named NYSSWA All-State, All-Suffolk County and Second Team All-Long Island in 2015. She also took her team’s MVP honors as both a junior and a senior. The forward played club ball for the East Meadow Soccer Club, leading a team that qualified for the North American National Finals in both 2013 and 2014.

Brennan will travel cross country to player her college soccer after completing a standout career at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. At Marina, Brennan helped lead the Vikings to a

no. 21 national ranking, anchoring the team’s defensive unit. A leading member of Beach FC and a former captain of Exiles soccer club, Brennan has been a part of several championship squads, including the 2014 National League Champions and the 2013 Surf Cup Final Champions.

A product of Bordentown Regional High School, Bruce will look to help shore up the Red Storm’s defensive unit when she arrives on campus this fall. Another international recruit for Coach Stone (she lived the first nine years of her life in Canada before moving to the Garden State), Bruce played four years of varsity soccer for Bordentown, earning the title of captain for her senior season. During that final high school campaign, Bruce led Bordentown to a Patriot Division Title and an undefeated record. A First Team Patriot Division All-Star as both a junior and a senior, Bruce was also a standout player on the club circuit for Match Fit Academy.

One of two Long Island natives comprising the Class of 2019, Dolgos joins the Red Storm following an outstanding high school career in both soccer and track. On the pitch, Dolgos played five years on the varsity squad at Island Trees High School, including two years as a captain. A three-time All-County and two-time All-State honoree, Dolgos totaled 23 goals in her final two seasons for the Bulldogs. 14 of those goals came during her junior campaign, during which Dolgos was named her conference’s player of the year. A speed demon on the track, Dolgos holds her high school’s record in the 300m, 400m, 600m and 800m races. A five-time All-County selection for spring track, Dolgos was named All-State a total of five times during her high school running career, highlighted by an 800m county championship in 2012. A member of East Meadow Soccer Club, Dolgos will join teammate Christina Bellero and East Meadow alum Mikhaila Martinov on the Red Storm this fall.

Masur comes to St. John’s after an incredibly successful high school career that saw her Montclair High School team compile a record of 85-7-3 during her four years on the squad. The team’s MVP as a junior and Most Improved Player as a sophomore, Masur captained the Mounties to a New Jersey State Title as a senior. A First Team All-County and Second Team All-State selection, Masur won four conference titles and four Essex County Championships during her high school career. On the club circuit, Masur, starred for Match Fit Academy alongside future teammate Mecara Bruce. The 5-7 midfielder is certainly no stranger to the St. John’s campus, as her father, Dr. Dave Masur, has been the head coach of the men’s soccer team for 24 years, taking the Red Storm to four college cups and winning a national championship in 1996.

Scaffidi, a native of Silver Spring, Md., excelled as a three-year captain for St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. A four year All-Met selection, Scaffidi was named the WCAC Player of the Year in 2014 after scoring 14 goals, registering 14 assists and leading her team to an 8-3-3 record. She also tallied 12 goals and 14 assists as a junior after scoring nine goals as a sophomore. A three-time team MVP at St. John’s College, Scaffidi played her club ball for McLean ECNL last season after three years with PSC Baltimore, where she won the Maryland State Championship three times. In addition, Scaffidi played for Coach Stone as a member of the Olympic Development Program Region 1 U-17 team.

The latest in a line of great English players to suit up for the Red Storm, Whipp comes to Queens following an already established career in Great Britain. The Ormskirk, Lancashire, native has already earned a roster spot on three separate English national teams, playing for the U-15, U-17 and U-19 squads and will be the third member of the current Red Storm squad along with Rachel Daly and Georgia Kearney-Perry to have played for England. In addition to her accolades with the national team, Whipp also plays for Everton Ladies FC in the FA Women’s Super League, the premier women’s league in all of England.

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